From: fannicm@wkuvx1.bitnet (Master Hawk) Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [VampQ]Moria/Mathew/Janis - Storm Message-ID: <1993Oct2.131524.7722@wkuvx1> Date: 2 Oct 93 13:15:24 CDT This has been a joint effort on the part of myself, jcarl@jabba..., and arsmith@lamar... [internet may be the greatest thing since computers, but these addresses are a pain.] Thanks to all contributers. ================================================================= >No sooner had he spoken the words when an arrow grazed his ear, >drawing a small trickle of blood. >"Hit the deck!" he screamed, as he did so. The archer's location >was unknown to him, but he saw the others were more adept at such >things. Matthew was walking next to Moria when the cry rang out. His long sword came quickly from its sheath with a metallic ring, it's runes danced with a faint light barely visible even in the dark turbulent night. He moved in front of Moria to protect her from ambush. Tomonobu and Blue were faster yet and had already returned fire towards a tree from whence the assassins arrow was launched. Matthew scanned around for more assassins. This was all too familiar to him. This is how it had started the last time as well. Matthew clenched his jaw and pushed those thoughts away fiercely. They always led to thoughts of his father, but damn it this was just too similar! >"Be careful, we don't want to get separated," Tomonobu added, as he >and Bluestar went to investigate. Matthew nodded his accent to the command and watched Tomonobu and Bluestar head into the woods to interrogate the assassin - if he still lived. He fidgeted as memories of another ambush tried to come to mind. He had almost died due to his inexperience then. Ja'nis moved to the side of the path, easing her sword out of it's sheath, she braced herself for combat. "Everybody DOWN!" She yelled emphasizing the last warning given to everyone by Tomonobu. She, took stock of their position and scanned the surrounding trees for more assassins. Ja'nis noticed Matthew's ill-ease "What the snot's going on?" she asked him. "Someone obviously has found out about our assignment and wishes to stop us. Permanently," he said ominously. "We need to stay together. If we get separated, we're easy pickin's" Billy strode forward towards the treel ine where Tomonobu and Bluestar had disappear. He donned a bracelet and disappeared before their eyes. Matthew was about to say something, but remembered the last time he had accidentally revealed the location of a friend. He shook his head in dismay at Billy's inexperience, it would get him killed. Matthew trusted that Lady Luck watched over this young man. He turned to Moria to talk "There's got to be more than ..." His voice trailed off as he noticed Moria's eyes were vacant. She was using her mage sight to look elsewhere. He uncomfortably waited for her attention to focus here instead of wherever her mind was. Moria watched with unseeing eyes as Tomonobu and Bluestar incapacitated the would-be assassin. She had failed to notice him until he raised himself from behind his cover to release his arrow. She had been careless with the safety of those she traveled with again . . . and again, one of them almost died. Images of Indigo and Ixyanophor and friends from another adventure replaced the sights of the real world. In her mind's eye she re-lived the day not long past when she failed different friends. Salty tears rolled down her face as once again the world exploded around her and her friends. Memories of the carnal stench was strong in the air, the scent of the people that she had failed, and were now dead were dying once again. She ran into the wood reliving a time from the past. Her body reacted to those images and she turned away from Matthew and the others she had failed to protect and ran. Matthew and Ja'nis had been keeping an eye out for more assassins and were getting nervous that nothing was happening. Then Moria took off in a sprint past them. "Moria?" Matthew said with surprise. Matthew didn't waste time asking a second time. Moria obviously knew something was wrong and was heading out to help. Matthew took off in a run as well. "Keep the others together, I'm going after her" he yelled back to Ja'nis. "So much for sticking together." Ja'nis said sardonically. Matthew followed Moria, his chain mail clinked heavily as he sprinted along, but his body was built for this kind of action and it barely slowed him, yet Moria had a head start and was gaining. He soon lost her, but ran on. Ja'nis, for her part, gathered up the rest of the party under her protection. "C'mon." She said, "We'd better take cover in case there are more of them around." She began to lead the party into the shelter of the treel line. *** Moria ran forward blindly into a clearing, her unseeing eyes failed to notice the rock that tripped her. She fell hard and ripped her hands on the rough ground but she failed to notice the pain. Overhead, the storm clouds raced across the sky. Boiling clouds of black and blue thunderheads churned, threatening to spew their fury. Moria lay stunned on the ground, her memories turned to her past in the underdark city known as Havenshome. Thought and action became one as the battle-rage filled her. She lifted her tear-streaked face to the uncaring sky and screamed her defiance to the world. A clap of thunder punctuated her cry. The air around her body lit up with a pale green nebulous glow as she lurched to her feet. Her narrowed eyes darted from side to side as she searched the area to the limits of her senses. *** Matthew stumbled along "Moooriaaaa" Then he thought he had heard a battle scream, but wasn't sure as a clap of thunder caught up the sound and drowned it out with it's rolling reverberations. He moved in the direction he thought the sound had come from. *** From behind her came a cold, quiet voice that sent chills down her spine, "Oh, yes, Moria Eh'Lahnhal Ke'Haveren, it will happen again and again. You are a magnet for the danger which kills your friends. It is your fault that your friends are in danger. It is your fault that they will die." The battle rage faded like the heat of a quenched fire. Without turning she said, "You are dead. With my hands I ripped out your heart, with my magic I filled your veins with grubs. I threw your dead body into the heart of the Da'Shen Mere. You Are _DEAD_!" "Face me, student. You did not kill me in our duel, that was but a shell, and you are a fool to believe otherwise. Face me, and let me show you the meaning of true power!" *** Matthew broke through the tree line and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Moria just up ahead, and slowed his pace. Then he noticed Tomonobu and Bluestar circling each other in what looked to be a sword dance of sorts. The style was very different from what he had learned and it looked intimidating to part of his mind. A more logical part said something was wrong. "Foul wizard's work is at play here," he hissed, and he knew he was going to be too late. A blue glow started to rise up from Moria's arms. Before Matthew realized she was casting a spell he ran past her to stop the mad duel on the other end of the clearing. He turned ever so slightly as he ran past and noticed a mad look in Moria's eyes. Moria whirled about, her casting complete. A blinding blue bolt lanced from the area between her hands and headed unerringly toward the drow who taunted her. A quiet chuckle filled the air as the bolt flew through his fading body and struck the ground between Tomonobu and Bluestar, throwing them from their feet. (*Look for the next exciting installment of the VampQ thread, coming soon to a site near you!!!!*) -=-=-=-=- Your god is Dead, your energies would be better spent worshiping Me. _ _ _ _ , ' ) ) ) _/_ ' ) / / / / / __. _ / _ __ /--/ __. , , , /_ / ' (_(_/|_/_)_<__